Brussel
BRUXELLES Country : Belgium Province :
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Origin/meaning
The arms of Brussel were granted officially on March 30, 1819 and again on March 25, 1844.
The arms show the local patron saint, Archangel St. Michael. The archangel appeared already on the oldest known seal of the city, known from 1257, but mentioned in 1231. All later arms and seals have shown the patron saint, but the actual composition differed widely during the centuries.
During the Napoleonic time Brussels was a city of the first rank and was granted arms on June 6, 1811. These arms showed a chief with three bees above the old arms. These were removed when Napoleon was defeated.
In 1817 the supporters, which had been used on several seals and images, were officially granted. The banners were added in 1844 to symbolise the fact that the city had become the capital of Belgium.
It has been stated that the original colour of the arms was a red shield, with a transparent image of the saint. Later the saint was coloured according to the colours of the statue on the city hall.
Image gallery
The arms in a 16th century manuscript
The arms in a 17th century manuscript
The arms in the Wapen- en Vlaggenboek van Gerrit Hesman (1708)
The arms in the Wappen-Sammlung (1900)
The arms in the Koffie Hag/Café Hag albums +/- 1930
The arms on a police badge (source)
The arms in the Abadie albums
The arms in a 1930s album
The arms on a Dutch Willem II cigar band
Literature: Servais, M. : Armorial des provinces et des communes de Belgique. Liege, 1955, 1041 p
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